Group Members: Ashly Brown, Mei Cantrell, Tina Chapman, Morgan Moore, Kamaria Muhammad, Holly Rekow, & Erika Young
What is Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs of students.
Differentiation is...
adjusting activities and instruction in the classroom.
proactively planning for students.
focuses on quality instruction.
student centered.
includes a mixture of whole-class, group, and individual instruction.
meeting students where they are at.
attention to student differences.
emphasis on individual growth and group learning.
success for ALL students.
fair, as students receive the appropriate instruction needed.
Differentiation is NOT...
a new concept.
individualized instruction for each student.
homogeneously grouping students.
chaotic.
giving more of the same.
expecting more of "advanced" learners than "typical" learners.
expecting less of "struggling" learners than "typical" learners.
a substitute for specialized services.
What are the five components of Differentiated Instruction?
There are five main elements that can be differentiated in the classroom:
Affect - How students learn and engage in instruction.
Example: Adjusting instruction for language/culture/gender differences.
Content - The information that students need to learn.
Example: Using reading materials with varying levels.
Process - Activities that help students make sense of content.
Example: Using tiered activities or centers where students have options/choice.
Product - Projects that require students to apply and extend knowledge.
Example: Using rubrics to match varying skill levels.
Learning Environment - The way the classroom feels and works.
Example: Making distinct places in the room for quiet work and collaboration.
What are some different ways to differentiate activities in my classroom?
Create a menu of activities. Appetizer activities are $1, Dessert activities are $2, and Main Course activities are $3. Students must spend a total of $10, but the activities chosen is left to the student's discretion.
Create a tic-tac-toe board of activities. Have students choose three activities in a row to make a tic-tac-toe.
Focus each lesson of a Unit around a different Multiple Intelligence.
Use a variety of reading materials for students on different reading levels.
Use rubrics to match varying skill levels.
Encourage students to collaborate or work individually.
Incorporate tiered instruction by adjusting projects and assignments.
Create Book Clubs in the classroom that encourage students to read on their level, as well as have choices in their Club.
Present information or activities in a new way.
Incorporate a performance task that challenges all students.
Maximize learning in the classroom with a cubing strategy. This challenges students to think of one specific topic in six different ways.
Encourage students to pursue their passions while learning.
Where can I find more information on Differentiated Instruction?
Current Definitions Although interpretations of the word "gifted" seem limitless, there are a handful of foundational definitions that may be categorized from conservative (related to demonstrated high IQ) to liberal (a broadened conception that includes multiple criteria that might not be measured through an IQ test).
National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).
The development of ability or talent is a lifelong process. It can be evident in young children as exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of ability or as a rapid rate of learning, compared to other students of the same age, or in actual achievement in a domain. As individuals mature through childhood to adolescence, however, achievement and high levels of motivation in the domain become the primary characteristics of their giftedness. Various factors can either enhance or inhibit the development and expression of abilities. To read the NAGC position paper, Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigmclick here.
A person's giftedness should not be confused with the means by which giftedness is observed or assessed. Parent, teacher, or student recommendations, a high mark on an examination, or a high IQ score are not giftedness; they may be a signal that giftedness exists. Some of these indices of giftedness are more sensitive than others to differences in the person's environment.
The Javits Act (1988)
This definition is taken from the Javits Act, which provides grants for education programs serving bright children from low-income families:
"The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who give evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully."
US Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) (1993)
In the report titled National Excellence and Developing Talent, the term "gifted" was dropped. This definition uses the term "outstanding talent" and concludes with the sentence: "Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor."
Other Definitions from the Field
Columbus Group: "Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally."
Gagné: Gagné proposes a clear distinction between giftedness and talent. In his model, the term giftedness designates the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities (called aptitudes or gifts) in at least one ability domain to a degree that places a child among the top 10% of his or her age peers. By contrast, the term talent designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities (or skills) and knowledge in at least one field of human activity to a degree that places a child's achievement within the upper 10% of age-peers who are active in that field or fields. His model presents five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative, socioaffective, sensorimotor and "others" (e.g. extrasensory perception). These natural abilities, which have a clear genetic substratum, can be observed in every task children are confronted with in the course of their schooling. (Gagné, F., 1985)
Renzulli: Gifted behavior occurs when there is an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: above-average general and/or specific abilities, high levels of task commitment (motivation), and high levels of creativity. Gifted and talented children are those who possess or are capable of developing this composite of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. As noted in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, gifted behaviors can be found "in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances)."
A Brief History of Giftedness
Although people with exceptional ability have been celebrated across the ages, the use of the word "gifted" in an educational sense is relatively recent. In the late 1800s, Dr. William T. Harris, Superintendent of Schools in St. Louis, discussed a plan for the acceleration of gifted students so they would have more challenging work and not fall under the spell of laziness.
By the early part of the 20th century publications such as "Classes For Gifted Children: An experimental study of method and instruction" (Whipple, G. M., 1919) and "Classroom Problems in the Education of Gifted Children" (Henry, T.S., 1920) used the term "gifted" to describe students who are able to work through the curriculum faster, and whose work is measurably different from that of average students. Then, in 1921, Lewis Terman began his famous study of genius. He believed that nurturing academically exceptional children was essential for our country's future. He used the term "genius" in the title of his book, but later referred to the subjects in his study as "gifted," which established that label in our educational vocabulary.
Group Members: Ashly Brown, Mei Cantrell, Tina Chapman, Morgan Moore, Kamaria Muhammad, Holly Rekow, & Erika Young
What is Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet the individual needs of students.Differentiation is...
adjusting activities and instruction in the classroom.
proactively planning for students.
focuses on quality instruction.
student centered.
includes a mixture of whole-class, group, and individual instruction.
meeting students where they are at.
attention to student differences.
emphasis on individual growth and group learning.
success for ALL students.
fair, as students receive the appropriate instruction needed.
Differentiation is NOT...
a new concept.
individualized instruction for each student.
homogeneously grouping students.
chaotic.
giving more of the same.
expecting more of "advanced" learners than "typical" learners.
expecting less of "struggling" learners than "typical" learners.
a substitute for specialized services.
What are the five components of Differentiated Instruction?
There are five main elements that can be differentiated in the classroom:
Affect - How students learn and engage in instruction.
Example: Adjusting instruction for language/culture/gender differences.
Content - The information that students need to learn.
Example: Using reading materials with varying levels.
Process - Activities that help students make sense of content.
Example: Using tiered activities or centers where students have options/choice.
Product - Projects that require students to apply and extend knowledge.
Example: Using rubrics to match varying skill levels.
Learning Environment - The way the classroom feels and works.
Example: Making distinct places in the room for quiet work and collaboration.
What are some different ways to differentiate activities in my classroom?
Create a menu of activities. Appetizer activities are $1, Dessert activities are $2, and Main Course activities are $3. Students must spend a total of $10, but the activities chosen is left to the student's discretion.
Create a tic-tac-toe board of activities. Have students choose three activities in a row to make a tic-tac-toe.
Focus each lesson of a Unit around a different Multiple Intelligence.
Use a variety of reading materials for students on different reading levels.
Use rubrics to match varying skill levels.
Encourage students to collaborate or work individually.
Incorporate tiered instruction by adjusting projects and assignments.
Create Book Clubs in the classroom that encourage students to read on their level, as well as have choices in their Club.
Present information or activities in a new way.
Incorporate a performance task that challenges all students.
Maximize learning in the classroom with a cubing strategy. This challenges students to think of one specific topic in six different ways.
Encourage students to pursue their passions while learning.
Where can I find more information on Differentiated Instruction?
Differentiated Learning:
www.readingrockets.org/article/263
www.brainpop.com
www.youtube.com
http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/differentiate/planning/
http://www.coolmath.com/reference/triangles-types.html#The_acute_triangle
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/sample_units_lessons_differentiated_instruction.htm
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/tips_for_classroom_differentiated_instruction.htm
http://www.nctm.org/resources/content.aspx?id=22624
http://www.sde.com/Conferences/differentiated-instruction/index.asp
http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/di_meeting.phtml
www.teachingwithpurpose.com
Multiple Intelligences:http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html
http://lth3.k12.il.us/rhampton/mi/mi.html
http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html
How can I teach Gifted Learners:
Current Definitions
Although interpretations of the word "gifted" seem limitless, there are a handful of foundational definitions that may be categorized from conservative (related to demonstrated high IQ) to liberal (a broadened conception that includes multiple criteria that might not be measured through an IQ test).
- Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).
- The development of ability or talent is a lifelong process. It can be evident in young children as exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of ability or as a rapid rate of learning, compared to other students of the same age, or in actual achievement in a domain. As individuals mature through childhood to adolescence, however, achievement and high levels of motivation in the domain become the primary characteristics of their giftedness. Various factors can either enhance or inhibit the development and expression of abilities. To read the NAGC position paper, Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigmclick here.
- A person's giftedness should not be confused with the means by which giftedness is observed or assessed. Parent, teacher, or student recommendations, a high mark on an examination, or a high IQ score are not giftedness; they may be a signal that giftedness exists. Some of these indices of giftedness are more sensitive than others to differences in the person's environment.
The Javits Act (1988)- This definition is taken from the Javits Act, which provides grants for education programs serving bright children from low-income families:
"The term gifted and talented student means children and youths who give evidence of higher performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools in order to develop such capabilities fully."- US Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) (1993)
In the report titled National Excellence and Developing Talent, the term "gifted" was dropped. This definition uses the term "outstanding talent" and concludes with the sentence:"Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor."
Other Definitions from the Field
- Columbus Group: "Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching and counseling in order for them to develop optimally."
- Gagné: Gagné proposes a clear distinction between giftedness and talent. In his model, the term giftedness designates the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities (called aptitudes or gifts) in at least one ability domain to a degree that places a child among the top 10% of his or her age peers. By contrast, the term talent designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities (or skills) and knowledge in at least one field of human activity to a degree that places a child's achievement within the upper 10% of age-peers who are active in that field or fields. His model presents five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative, socioaffective, sensorimotor and "others" (e.g. extrasensory perception). These natural abilities, which have a clear genetic substratum, can be observed in every task children are confronted with in the course of their schooling. (Gagné, F., 1985)
- Renzulli: Gifted behavior occurs when there is an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: above-average general and/or specific abilities, high levels of task commitment (motivation), and high levels of creativity. Gifted and talented children are those who possess or are capable of developing this composite of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. As noted in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, gifted behaviors can be found "in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances)."
A Brief History of Giftednesshttp://www.freespirit.com/files/other/Teaching.Gifted.Kids.excerpt.pdf
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=659
http://www.prufrock.com/client/client_pages/teacher_introduction.cfm
http://www.reacheverychild.com/feature/gifted.html